Wastes from industries can be an 

 important influence on the quality of the 

 river water, along which the industries are 

 located. Depending on the nature of the 

 industrial waste, the character of the 

 receiving water can be altered quite exten- 

 sively if the waste is present in siiffi- 

 cient volume in relation to the quantity of 

 water available for dilution. 



In the Wenatchee River Basin, major 

 industrial pollutants offer no serious 

 pollution problems. 



Ground Water 



The rocks cind soil that form the 

 earth's crust are not solid throughout. 

 They contain meiny voids which provide stor- 

 age space for water. Rainwater and melted 

 snow charged with carbon dioxide enter 

 these pores and voids and dissolve the 

 soluble minerals present in rocks and soils. 

 Generally, ground water has a much higher 

 content of dissolved minerjils, a lower 

 amount of suspended materials and less dis- 

 solved oxygen than surface water. 



Ground water affects the quality of 

 surface water if the two are allowed to 

 mix. By either percolating directly to the 

 stream or returning to the surface in the 

 form of a spring, ground water usueJ-ly 

 mixes with and imparts some of its charac- 

 teristics to the river. 



Irrigation 



Irrigation has been essential in the 

 Wenatchee River Basin ever since the first 

 white settlers arrived. The area of land 

 under irrigation increased rapidly until 

 about 1915 and has remained fairly constant 

 since then. 



According to Simons (1953), 25,470 

 acres were under irrigation in 1946. 



The use of water to irrigate land 

 affects both the quantity and qucility of 

 water flowing in a stream. The quantity 

 is lowered by the amount of water lost to 

 evaporation and transpiration. The tem- 

 perature of the return flow is higher, and 

 the water usually contains more dissolved 

 minerals due to its prolonged contact with 

 the soil. 



SAMPLING FOR DETERMINATION OF WATER 

 QUALITIES 



Sampling Stations 



Sampling stations for collection of 

 water samples for chemical and physical 

 analyses were established at the following 

 locations in the Wenatchee River Basin 

 (figs. 6 and 7). 



Station 1 - Nason Creek ; neax mouth 

 at State Park bridge. 



Station 2 - Chiwawa River ; near mouth 

 at State Highway 15C 

 bridge. 



Station 3 - Lake Wenatchee ; 3 miles 

 above mouth, 1/4 mile 

 from south shore. 



Station 4 - Wenatchee River at Plain : 

 2 miles south of Plain, 

 west side of river. 



Station 5 - Wenatchee River at Turn - 

 water Canyon ; east side 

 of river at Drury Canyon. 



Station 6 - Wenatchee River at Sleepy 

 Hollow ; at bridge approx- 

 imately 2 miles above 

 Wenatchee. 



These points were selected because 

 of their present accessibility and con- 

 venience, and likelihood that they would 

 remain so after construction of the pro- 

 posed hydroelectric projects. In addition, 

 they were free from local influences and 

 situated so as to give a representative 

 seimple of the streaun or lake. 



Physical Tests 



The physical characteristics of 

 water samples collected were determined 

 according to procedures outlined in 

 "Standard Methods for the Examination of 

 Water, Sewage and Industrial Wastes", 

 tenth edition (American Public Health 

 Association, 1955). The temperature, 

 turbidity, color, and electrical conduct- 

 ance were determined. 



